Tag 76 - 78 Mount Cook National Park

The next morning we became little archaeologists. At the 'Vanished World Center' we examined an ancient dolphin with shark-like teeth, Moa bones, and Basti even tapped some very old shells made of limestone from the region. After that, we tried to decipher ancient Maori wall paintings, which we didn't quite succeed in, even though we were really creative. We continued through the Lord of the Rings landscape, where the battle on the Pelennor Fields was filmed, to Lake Pukaki, which appears almost unnaturally blue - a filming location for the Long Lake (Hobbit). And when the sky cleared after a heavy rain shower, we were treated to the sight of a crazy rainbow and Mount Cook (the highest mountain in New Zealand) at the other end of the lake. Wow!

The next morning, we headed towards the mountains (New Zealand Alps, but this time from the east) and walked on the Hooker Valley Track over suspension bridges (much to the delight of Pauline) through the valley towards Mt. Cook, which occasionally emerged from the clouds. Amazing. After a lot of wind and a few raindrops, we were rewarded with a breathtaking view of Mount Cook, in front of which a glacier lake spread out with icebergs... one of the most beautiful hikes we've done here so far! In the afternoon, we hiked to the Blue Lakes (for colorblind people: blue lakes) and the former terminal moraine of the Tasman Glacier. It retreats by 30m each year, but it is still the largest glacier in New Zealand... quite sobering.

The next day, we 'conquered' Mt. John, where we were almost blown away at the top (of course, it's always windy at the summit, but we've never experienced anything like this. Everything is a bit more extreme here (:) ) and visited the 'Church of the Good Shepherd' before heading towards Christchurch. A really charming little church that had a large window instead of an altar, offering a view of mountains and lake. Something different and really great! Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the church...